


Merry Christmas, Zack

by emmawicked



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, i actually made this for secret santa but whatever, really just a crapload of cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 11:16:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5624848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmawicked/pseuds/emmawicked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack and the reader celebrate Christmas together with lots of baking</p>
            </blockquote>





	Merry Christmas, Zack

“Merry Christmas!” You cheered as you entered the science lab where Zack and Hodgins were working. 

“Merry Christmas, y/n,” Hodgins said warmly. Zack didn’t say anything in response, instead examining the amount of liquid in a beaker. You honestly had no idea what he was doing, and had absolutely no desire to be told. When he didn’t look up after Hodgins greeted you, you rolled your eyes in good nature before wrapping yourself around him and kissing his cheek.

“You know,” you said in a confidential whisper, “I don’t think the world will end if you stop working for thirty seconds.” Zack soon put down the beaker back on the lab table. 

“Hello, y/n,” Zack said, finally looking at you. His pink lips quirked up in a smile as you hugged him tightly. He briefly bent down to give you a peck and you smiled against his lips. When you turned back around, Hodgins was grinning at you two like the cat that ate the canary.

“What are you grinning about?” You questioned, arching an eyebrow.

“Nothing, nothing!” Hodgins insisted, putting his hands up in a defensive gesture even though he was unable to wipe the smile off his face. “I just still can’t get over the fact that you guys are like together, together.” You rolled your eyes.

“Well you better get used to it soon,” you said with a playful note in your voice. “You have had almost a year, you know,” Hodgins shrugged, getting back to work with a grin plastered on  his face. 

“I know,” Hodgins admitted, “I guess I just can't get used to the fact that Zack-o has a girlfriend.” Oh, you could believe it. Hodgins had been teasing both of you relentlessly over the course of nine months after he found about the two of you. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like his thoughts on the matter were changing, he still relentlessly teased Zack- in a (mostly) good nature, of course. Not bothering to reply to the unfortunately genius billionaire, you turned back to Zack.

“Are you getting off work early today?” You questioned. Zack nodded in response.

“I will be back at the apartment before five,” he answered promptly. You smiled at him before reaching up to kiss his cheek in goodbye. 

“See you later,” you murmured in his ear as you hugged him. Zack smiled at the rush of affection that coursed through his body in your embrace.

“I love you,” Zack said in a very matter-of-face tone. You still got chills down your spine whenever Zack said that he loved you, the way he said it was different from any other way you had ever heard the familiar phrase. He said it like it was a fact of life- like it was concrete and unchangeable. It just was. 

“Love you too,” you said affectionately before slinging your purse over your shoulder and leaving. 

After you left, Zack turned back to his work with a studious expression on his face. Hodgins was anything but, still looking at Zack with that ridiculous grin of his. 

“Man, you've got it bad,” Hodgins teased. Zack didn't deign to respond, merely rolling his eyes at his childish coworker.

-*-

You spent the day cooking and baking. Even though Zack was a genius at science- far surpassing you, who could barely tell the difference between a prokaryote and a eukarote-  he was a terrible cook. If left to his own devices, he would survive purely off of macaroni and cheese and whatever food happened to be in the fridge. It was a poor way to live, one that you fixed immediately when you moved in together. Living with a science genius was difficult at times, especially since you often realized how much smarter Zack was than you.

But what you lacked in scientific knowledge, you made up for in English and history. You worked as an editor for a small publishing house and your Christmas break had already started. You were good at your job- if not one of the best- and you enjoyed the work. Getting paid to read seemed like a pretty good job. 

Hours flew by until the doorbell rang at five. 

“It’s open!” You called through the small apartment. Zack quietly wandered in through the door and shut it behind him. “I’m in the kitchen!” When Zack entered the kitchen, he was treated to the sight of you covered in flour, stirring a bowl full of cookie dough while humming merrily to yourself. 

“What are you making?” Zack questioned, edging his way into the kitchen. He tried to stick his finger into the bowl and swipe some cookie dough, but you pulled it away just in time.

“Not yet,” you said in a sing-song voice. “You have to wait until I’m done.” Zack pouted, his usually calm and stoic expression melting into something vaguely child-like in nature. You cracked at grin at him.

“Here,” you ordered, handing him the bowl, “Hold this- and don’t you dare eat it!” Zack’s eyes lingered on the dough with a longing expression on his face. Zack obediently held the bowl while you dug around the pantry looking for something you had tucked away in there a few weeks ago.

“Aha!” You said happily, smiling, “Here we go.” You triumphantly held up a box of red and white striped candy canes. Zack’s brow wrinkled.

“Are we going to eat all of those, because that amount of sugar would make us both sick after heightening our blood sugar levels and sticking in our digestive tracks,” Zack said with an aura of cautiousness. Your lips smiled almost against your will at him. 

“Don’t worry,” you reassured, grabbing his forearm in excitement, “We’re going to do something much more fun than that. Have you ever made peppermint bark?” 

Fifteen minutes later, Zack was wearing a brightly colored Christmas apron while systematically hitting a bag of candy canes with a rolling pin to break them into small pieces. It was a sight you never thought you’d see in your lifetime. 

“Are you done?” You asked when Zack appeared at your right shoulder. He nodded, holding out the plastic bag with crushed candy canes in it. 

“Is there anything else you need me to do?” He questioned. He seemed genuinely interested in learning how to bake even if he wasn't very good at it. Your face brightened into a smile.

“Sure!” You said cheerily, “Can you put a stick of butter in the pot?” You gestured towards the make-shift double boiler. Zack obeyed, wandering off to do his job while you worked on the peppermint bark. You two were making two things at once- fudge and peppermint bark. A good combination, if you did so say yourself. 

“Hey Zack, can you-” you broke off as you checked the double boiler. “Oh shit!” Zack had put the butter in the water, not the pot, so you quickly fished it out with a ladle and put it back where it was supposed to go. 

“I’m sorry, was it not supposed to go in there?” Zack asked meekly. You were about to get irritated with him, but then he unleashed what you referred to as his ‘puppy dog’ eyes. God dammit. Sighing, you added some more butter to even it out.

“It’s alright, Zack,” you reassured, mixing the butter to get it to melt. “Can you mix the candy canes into the white chocolate?” Zack nodded and started his new job, taking extra care to not mess up this time. You shook your head at your boyfriend with a slight smile on your face. I guess we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Zack was a genius who fucked up everything in the kitchen, which was very ironic to you considering baking was a science, so Zack should be good at it. And you were good at English and cooking, and had to have Zack explain something to you four times to get you to understand it.

“What next?” Zack questioned when he finished. You glanced at his bowl just to check on it and to make sure Zack did it correctly. 

“Pour it in the pan over there,” you ordered, gesturing towards the clear pan with your head because your hands were full, “And make sure to get a rubber spatula!”

By the time you and Zack were done baking, three hours had passed and you made a double batch of fudge, a lot of peppermint bark, and three dozen gingerbread men.

“How are we going to eat all of this?” You wondered as you decorated one of the gingerbread men to look like an old man with a monocle. Zack shrugged.

“We’re gong to have to give some out, do you think your neighbors would want some?” Zack questioned. You nodded before moving onto a different cookie. 

“Yeah, they would.”

“Do you want to go see the new Star Wars movie this weekend?” Zack said excitedly. Both of you had been dying to see the new movie ever since its release date was announced, Star Wars was your favorite movie series ever and you hadn’t been too surprised to find out that Zack loved it as much as you did. 

“Of course!” You scoffed, “What kind of question is that?” Zack grinned boyishly at you and decorated his next gingerbread man to look like a storm trooper.

“What do you want to watch tonight?” Zack questioned as he finished the last gingerbread cookie. 

“Do you wanna watch Merlin?” You questioned. You had started watching the show two weeks ago with Zack and he seemed to enjoy it, despite the fact that it wasn’t sci-fi which was his favorite genre. Zack smiled up at you.

“I’d love to,” he said. You got Netflix set up and wrapped a comforter around you. 

“I brought cookies,” Zack announced as he entered the room holding a stack of freshly backed gingerbread men and held one out to you. You grateful took it and bit off its head while shifting on the couch to make room for Zack and then wrapping the comforter around the two of you so you were in a cozy, warm tent. 

“Thank you,” you said with a mouth full of cookie. Zack gained and wrapped an arm around you to bring you closer and you rested your head on his chest.

“I love you,” he said. You could hear his heart beat under the thin material of his shirt. Lifting you head momentarily, you looked back up at him in the dark room with a soft smile of your own.

“I love you too.”


End file.
